Aphids and How They Effect Your Plants:
Aphids are one of the most abundant garden pests, meaning, many gardeners have problems with these little insects. They are also known as plant lice, and for anyone who has encountered lice, you can imagine how irritating and destructive these little buggers can be to you plants. While feeding on your plants’ stems, the aphids remove and eat the plants’ sap. The sap is removed by the insect puncturing holes in your plants’ vessels. 
The sap, which is under high pressure, is then released for the insect to eat. By releasing this high pressure sap, the plant’s structure is compromised.
In addition, the bug’s saliva can act as a toxin to your plant, lending a hand to the transmission of many plant diseases. Signs of an aphid infestation can include: your plant browning and wilting, its leaves curling or falling off, yellowing in coloration, slow or stunted growth, and ultimately death of your plant. Also, an aphids bi-product is a dewy substance left on your plants, which can contribute to fungal growth. Obviously another sign of infestation is an up-close and personal visual inspection, with confirmation being that you can see the insects.
How Do I Get Rid of Them?
Remember how I mentioned that aphids are also called plant lice? Once lice have a host, they reproduce and multiply, destroying their host. The best means of control is early detection. Make it a habit to check your plants on a regular basis, especially the underside of your plants’ leaves. If you see anything similar to the picture above, you have a problem and you need to act fast.
I suggest a strong spray-down with your hose as a first step. This will get rid of many of the aphids and will at least give you some time to come up with a more permanent solution.
A home remedy is a soap detergent/water mixture spray. Mix a small amount of dish soap ( 2-3 teaspoons, and hopefully a green-friendly detergent!)) with a full spray bottle’s worth of water and then spray the underside of your plants leaves and the stems–sparingly. A light spray once a week is better than a heavy spray every two weeks. This concoction will actually dehydrate the insect by “washing away” its protective coating, leaving the aphid exposed to the elements.
If you’re not comfortable with making your own home remedy mix, every garden center will have numerous insecticidal soaps and oils. Each product will have different directions, so read the directions and follow them! Ask your sales associate which product would be best for the specific plants in your garden. Try a small sample area first (keeping up with hosing-down the rest of the garden), and if you find the product does the trick, use it on the rest of your plants. Don’t be afraid to try a few different brands.
For the more courageous gardener, you can certainly try to counteract the aphids by introducing beneficial insects to your garden to control the aphid population. Examples of insects that will make short work of aphids are lacewings, hoverflies, and ladybirds. These insects will not harm your plants, but will make a meal of the infesting aphids. Many garden centers stock these insects. This method will take time and patience–and may even take a few attempts! –but, as long as the enemy insects are well-fed, they’ll stick around and take care of the problem for you.
Stay Tuned!
Up next, SLUGS! These slimy, slow-moving bugs can leave a trail of destruction. Until then, take care and happy gardening!
(Pictured below: hoverfly, lacewing, and ladybird [ladybug])
